A researcher at the University of Texas at Arlington has received a $567,831 grant from the Department of Energy to study the rock materials that best prevent the escape of radiation from nuclear waste disposal facilities.
The team led by earth and environmental sciences associate professor Qinhong Hu will examine the movement of fluids and radioactive atoms through six variations of low-permeable rock formations, according to a Sept. 5 UTA press release. That will encompass granite and clay.
“We need to be sure that we have chosen the materials that are most appropriate, that will be least affected by leakage from the nuclear containers, as well as from weather events that result in liquid seepage,” Hu said in the release.
Toward that, researchers will aim for a “mechanistic or process-level understanding” of the movement of fluids and radionuclides, the university said. They will also “quantify the uncertainty around the materials for isolation purposes.”